Even In Death
by mymortalromances
Summary: Clary comes back to the institute after seven years but will she be able to go in and confess to Jace? Post COG. T because I'm paranoid


_Hey people! I seem to be on a writing frenzy at the moment because I've updated 2 of my multi chapters and now I present this one. So this is based after COG and COFA never happened because otherwise it makes things complicated. And one other tiny thing is that Max never died in COG in this story because... just because._

_On with the story_

_Disclaimer: My sister has red hair but I do not there for I am not even close to owning the greatest books ever! Darn it._

She walked down the street to the one place she hadn't been to for a long time.

Seven years. Seven years since she had been to the institute. Seven years since it had all happened. Seven years since she swore not to love another man. She briefly thought about turning around and running back to her apartment but pushed it down. If she didn't go know she would never go.

As she climbed the steps to the institute she ran through what she would say, what she would say to him. How she would she explain what had happened, why she had left but no matter what way she went about it she came up blank.

Suck it up Clary, she thought as she reached for the doorbell. Her fingers stoped millimetres away from the bell. _Bell. _What would she tell her if he didn't take it well? She would be heartbroken and Clary couldn't deal with that mostly because her heart would be in the same state. "Clary?" A voice whispered. A voice she knew all too well. "Clary is that you?"

Clary dropped her hand from the doorbell and turned to face her old best friend. Isabelle Lightwood's eyes widened at the sight of the red-haired girl she hadn't seen in seven years. Isabelle dropped the bags she was holding and ran to hug her with tears running down her face. "Oh Clary where have you been all this time?" The taller girl pulled away to see tears in Clary's eyes. "You've grown up so much and you're taller. It's a miracle!" She joked.

Clary giggled. "Yeah I guess I have and what about you?" she said looking Isabelle up and down trying to see the sixteen year old girl she used to be behind all the glitz and glamour that stood before her. "Could I come in?"

Isabelle nodded probably having the same thoughts. "Of course you can everyone will be so happy to see you. We've been so worried." The two girls made their way through the halls of the institute to the library. The institute hadn't changed since she had last been their but it felt so foreign at the same time. When they arrived at the library Isabelle pushed the wooden double doors open. Inside was a man sitting at the desk that had once belonged to Hodge. This man hadn't changed since the day she had left. This man was Alec.

Alec looked up from the book he was reading and met eyes with the emerald eyed girl he had once known. "C-Clary?" He asked rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Alec. Long time no see," she whimpered through a sad smile. Alec stood up from the desk showing her that his fashion sense hadn't changed at all.

"Clary," he said again running and picking her up in a hug a single tear escaping his left eye. He put her down shortly after. "Just so you're aware I am now going to have to kill you for seeing that."

As Clary went to respond she heard a low bass voice from behind her. She turned around to see a well built boy about the age of sixteen. "Are you serious Clary's back?" He asked. His eyes met with hers. "Hey Clary bet you don't recognize me?" He asked. Then she realised who it was.

"Oh my angel. Max. Is that really you?" Clary asked in disbelief. He nodded his head and walked up to her.

"Have you always been this short?" he asked and she slapped his well muscled chest playfully.

"So why are you here?" Alec asked and Clary gave him a look. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you but people don't decide 'hey I'm going to go back to the people I haven't seen in seven years'"

She felt her face drop. "I actually came to see Jace. Where is he by the way?" this time everyone else's faces dropped.

Max was the first to speak. "Didn't anyone tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

This time Isabelle found her voice. "I think you need to sit down Clary."

She shook her head. "No. Just tell me what's going on. If he's moved on just tell me but regardless I need to speak to him."

"Okay then we need to take you somewhere then."

Clary stared at the tombstone that had her one loves name on it. It read: _'Jace Lightwood, born: 1990, died: 2012, A great brother and son who will be missed deeply.'_

Finally looking up she turned to Isabelle with watery eyes. "But why isn't he in the Bone City?"

She sniffled before saying, "Only people who died in battle can be buried there. Jace was mugged. He wasn't watching, he hadn't really since you left, and was unarmed. He died instantly after being stabbed."

Clary shook her head. "No, no you're lying. Stop lying," she yelled.

"Clary, I'm sorry. I wish I was. I really do." But Clary didn't want that answer. She ran off down the road back to the institute and into Jace's room.

She could feel the tears running down her face as she stood looking in his room from the doorway. She couldn't bring herself to go in so she just stood there taking in the scent. The scent of Jace. Her Jace.

"Are you okay?" Alec's voice broke through the silence giving her a scare. She looked at him through tear filled eyes and shook her head falling into his chest. They stood there like that for a while. Clary crying into his chest and him trying to calm her down. Eventually she pulled away and looked at him.

"I didn't get to tell him," She sobbed. Alec looked at her confused.

"Tell him what?" he asked.

"Why I left." Was all she could manage. He looked at her, deep into her eyes and saw there was a good reason behind it.

"Go to the library. I'll go get the others. It might be easier if you told us all together." She nodded and her and Alec went their separate ways.

A few minutes after she had arrived herself Alec, Isabelle and Max walked in. Isabelle and max sat in the chair opposite her and Alec sat on the floor. "So Alec has caught us up," Isabelle explained and Clary knew that now it was her turn.

"I left-" she stopped to clear her throat before continuing. "I left because I was pregnant." Everyone in the room gasped but didn't say a word so she continued. "I couldn't tell Jace, I didn't know how he would react so I left."

"Mum disowned me so Simon took me in but when he died I was out on the street with a three year old daughter. I couldn't come back after leaving so suddenly so we stayed there until a few weeks before her fourth birthday a hooded man came up to us and handed me a load of cash. He said to buy a house with it and put her through school."

"Jace," Isabelle whispered. Clary shook her head. She couldn't of heard right. But she might of.

"Huh?" she said.

"Jace," Isabelle repeated, louder this time. "It was definitely Jace." She turned to her brothers. "Do you remember when Jace took all that money out of his savings and when we asked he said it was going to a good cause."

"Yeah but he could of been giving it to anyone," Alec counteracted.

"Fine I'll prove it. Clary what street were you on?" Isabelle asked.

"Err, I don't know. I think it was around my mum's house."

"Aha. See Jace went to Clary's house every week. Chances are he saw Clary and, what's her name?"

Clary smirked. "Isabelle Fray."

Isabelle's eyes widened. "Isabelle-Isabelle Fray? You named her after me?" Clary nodded. "Chances are he saw Clary and Isabelle on the street and realised what happened."

"Do you really think he would do that after I left him, Isabelle?"

She nodded. "Honey, since the day you left he had cried. He loved you Clary and that's a fact."

The tears were welling up in Clary's eyes and she did nothing to stop them. She whipped them away. "So do you guys want to meet her? After all she is your niece." They all nodded. "Good because she wants to meet you. I'll go get her." Clary looked at her watch. "Good timing because I need to go pick her up."

"Mummy, where are we going?" Isabelle asked as they walked towards the institute.

"It's a surprise, honey," Clary answered. They walked up the steps and navigated through the halls to the library. "Now close your eyes, sweetie, and no peaking."

Clary opened the door to the library and ushered Isabelle through the door. As they entered everyone stood up and made an orderly line in front of the seven year old. "Okay now open your eyes." She did as her mother asked and looked at the people in front of her and then back at her mum confused.

"Well you know how you told me that the only thing you wanted to meet your daddy." She nodded looking more excited. "Well daddy isn't here anymore so I wanted you to meet daddy's family." She nodded in acceptance. She was disappointed it was in her eyes, her golden eyes that reminded Clary of Jace. Everything about Isabelle reminded her of Jace which mad this all the more harder.

Clary shuffled Isabelle forward to Max. Max squatted down to look Isabelle in the eyes. "Isabelle this is your Uncle Max," Clary introduced. Isabelle smiled at her new found uncle.

"Hello Miss Isabelle. How are you today?" He asked, tapping he nose at the same time.

"I'm good thanks, Uncle Max, how about you," She said in an angelic voice.

"Better now that I've met you, sweetie." She giggled Clary moved her along the line to where Alec was standing.

"Isabelle this is your Uncle Alec," She told the little girl. Alec knelt down to the same size as Isabelle. "Uncle Alec is your daddy's best friend."

"You were Daddy's best friend and his brother?" She asked.

"That's right. Can I tell you a secret?" He asked. She nodded and he lent in close. "You look like your daddy."

Isabelle was blushed so much Clary moved on to the last person in the line. The person Isabelle was named after. "Isabelle this is your Aunty Isabelle," Clary told her and the younger girl wore a mask of shock.

"She has the same name as me," Isabelle said looking between her newly found aunt and her mum.

"That's right," The adult Isabelle said. "Do you know why?" Little Isabelle shook her head so her platted hair whipped around. "Because you were named after me."

"Really, Mummy?"

"That's right, honey."

She looked at the three people she had just met and smiled. "Will you play with me?" She asked. They all nodded. "Okay! Could we play hide and seek?" Yet again they all nodded. She clapped her hands. "Yay! This is going to be the best game ever. Uncle Max can be it. Lets hide, Mummy." Isabelle pulled Clary down the hall until Clary stopped in front of Jace's room.

"Come in here, honey. I have one more thing that I'm sure daddy would want you to see." Clary opened the door to Jace's room and let her daughter walk in. "This was daddy's room."

"Really?"

Before I could answer Max walked in. "Found you," he said picking Isabelle up and spinning her around in the process.

"How'd you know I'd be in here?"

"Because, no matter what, you where always with Jace."

He was right Clary where Jace was. Even in death.

_So that was Even in Death. Did you like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think in a review. Please they make me write more. Now I know that was kind of sad (for me anyway) and I have no idea why I wrote this considering I never write angst (this is as close as it gets except for my personal stories). So there's my explanation._

_I also have another story which is a two shot and three multi chapters. You can check them out on my profile... Please do._

_Ps. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head for multi chapters so if you want one feel free to PM me about it._


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